Machine for rounding and backing books.



Wu. *15fi8,|48. Patented Feb. l2, I90l. J. MEEK.

MAGHlNE FUR BOUNDING AND BACKING BOOKS.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900.) (Wu W'lodel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

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Patented Feb. I2, 1901. J. MEEK.

MACHINE FUR ROUNDING AND BACKING BOOKS.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900.) (Wu Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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J. MEEK.

MACHINE FDR RDUNDING AND BACKING BOOKS.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900.")

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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.J. MEEK.

MACHINE FOR RDUNDING AND BACKING BOOKS.

(Application filed Oct. 13, 1900.)

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JOSEPH MEEK, OF PORT SUNLIGHT, ENGLAND.

WIIMTIMINE FOR ROUNDING AND BACKING BOOMS.

PECIFI fiaLIION forming part of Letters Patent No. 668,148, datedFebruary 12, 1901.

Application filed October 13, 1900. Serial No. 32.988. No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH MEEK, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing in Port Sunlight, in the county of Chester, England,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Machines forRounding and Backing Books, (for which application for patent has beenmade in Great Britain, No. 22,892, dated November 16, 1899,) of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention has for its object improvementsin bookbinding, wherebythe process is considerably cheapened, and also improvements inapparatus for effecting these improvements in the process.

In bookbinding as at present carried on by that class of machines ofwhich the subjectmatter of United States Patent No. 372,128, to E.Crawley, dated October 25, 1887, is an instance the book without thecover is rounded and the groove pressed in by machinery. The back is nowattached and the book is again passed through the machine. Now I havefound that if the back be attached to the book in its unrounded andunbound state and it is then passed through the machine it rounds andgrooves the entire book and so perfectly that it is practicallyimpossible to ascertain from inspection of a book whether it has beendone at two operations or at one. Hitherto it had been supposed to bequite impossible to do the operation in this way, as the binding wouldcrack. I find, however, that the pressure exerted in the machine appearsto condense the book to almost exactly the same extent that the surfaceis extended by rounding. Consequently there is no strain on the back ofthe book. The book is there fore first covered with its cloth coverorcase, and instead of pressing this book in a separate machine I so therounding and backing machine for pressing it at the same time as thebooks are rounded and backed. By the present invention, therefore,onesingle machine is enabled to do the work of several.

I have also improved the rounding and backing machine itself, so as toenable me to round and back two at one operation, thus (in the case oftwo'books) doubling the capacity of the machine without increasing itssize, and by doing away with the radial gagebar greatly lessen thedanger to the attendant in removing the books. My improvements are alsoapplicable to single rounding and backing machines. The rounding andbacking machine is fed with two books of,say, crown octavo size at eachoperation instead of one only, as heretofore and at present generallyadopted. It is primarily to the application of this principle ofrounding and backing two oreven more books at the one operation by thesame machine that my said invention more particularly relates, and whatI have found to be an advantageous method is to make the grip-plates androunding-bar of an increased length to those in an ordinary machine toenable it to take in the two books, as the case may be, lengthwise withtheir edges abutting against each other.

The invention will be more particularly understood from the followingdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a front elevation of a gage-bar and actuating-gear; Fig. 2,a plan thereof; Fig. 3, an end View of Fig. 1. Fig. tie a View invertical section of the roller gage-bar, feedrolls, and vise, showingone position of the gage-bar, feed-rolls, and vise in full lines andanother position in dotted lines. Fig. 5 shows the means for connectingthe rods which operate the gage-bar to insure their simultaneousmovement. Fig. 6 is a View in perspective seen from the side, alsoillustrating the position of the gage-bar and showing its connections.

The roundingand backing machine shown in the drawings is constructed onsomewhat similar lines to previous machines, but with the followingexceptions:

In the case of a machine capable of operating on two bookssimultaneously it is necessary to make the rounding-bar and the vise orgrip-plates B of increased length to those of ordinary machines, so asto enable them to take in the two books placed end to end lengthwise,with their edges abutting against each other.

In order to facilitate the gaging and fitting of the book or books intoproper position, the usual oscillating gage-arm, as used in the pat outbefore referred to, is dispensed with and is substituted by a horizontalgage-bar O, mounted in the guides D, having a vertical motion impartedto it by means of a suitable arrangement of shafts, levers, and gearingor combination thereof, which motion is derived from a rocking shaft, towhich I do not,

frames d, carrying the feed-rolls A, said frames being arranged to admitof the free rise and fall of the upper feed-roller, as well as theindependent rising and falling of the gagebar. The mechanism forimparting to the gage-barits vertical movement is so arranged as toraise the bar as the book-vise comes forward to grip the books and tolower it as the said vise recedes. The gage bar is made rigid, but isprovided at the ends with a bow or volute G or other form of springconnection, (or it may be by weights,) so that the book-vise during itsforward oscillatory travel to take one or a pair of books will collidewith the flexibly-connected gage-bar when in its raised position andwill gently move the same out of the position which it previouslyoccupied to a position above the books, and thus enable the book-vise tocome forward for the purpose of seizing the books and carrying them tothe rounding and backing device, the rounding and backing being done inthe ordinary way. The interm'ittently-rotating feed-rolls are preferablyarranged to simultaneously feedforward the books into the vise, so thatthey can be seized thereby at the moment when the said vise comesforward. On the completion of the operation the gage-bar instantlysprings back to its normal position and also is lowered vertically,so asto again act asa stop or gage for the next set of books fed in by theoperator, the feed'rolls separating to allow them to be fed in. Theoperation is successively repeated for the rounding and backing of eachpair of books, or singly, as the case may be. The book-vise B is shownin dotted lines in Fig. 2 and in Fig. 4 in full lines in its farthestextended position and in dotted lines grasping a book, the normalposition of the gage-bar 0 being shown in said Fig. 4 in full lines andits two raised positions, one before and the other after itsdisplacement by the advance of the book-vise in dotted lines. The gagebar in the arrangement shown in the drawings derives its motion fromcranks H, mounted on rocking shafts I and connected by connecting-rods Kto the blocks J, to which the volutes at ends of gage-bar are attached.One of the shafts I, as in Orawleys machine, Patent No. 372,128, datedOctober 25, 1887, is driven from a cam on the main shaft of the machinethrough the rod P, which imparts an intermittent oscillating movement tothis shaft I. This shaft I is connected to the other shaft I by means ofa transverse shaft N at the back of the machine, gearing with the'twoshafts I by means of miter-segments 0, so that the two shafts Ioscillate simultaneously and to the same extent in opposite directions,so

that the 'gagebar c is raised evenly at both ends when necessary inorder to allow the vise to seize the books. The block J and horizontalguides E are attached together and slide in the guide-frames D. I wouldhave it understood, however, that the gage-bar is capable of adjustmentin order that the machine can be adapted to admit of books of varyingthicknesses being operated upon. This is effected by a slot L beingprovided in each block J and attaching the ends of springs G to a slidemounted in each of these slots. The slides can be locked by tighteningup the nuts Z. By slackening the nuts the gage-bar can be adjusted intothe required position, according to the size of the book required, andthen looked by tightening up the nuts again.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The gage-bar being inposition behind the feed-rollers these latter rise and one or more booksare placed by hand between the rollers A, with their backs in contactwith the gagebar O. The top roller A then falls and holds the books. Thegage-bar rises above the books, the vise B comes forward, pushes thegage-bar over the books, and seizes the books and carries them back tothe rounding-bar Q, by which'they are rounded in the usual manner. Whenthis operation is completed, the vise relaxes and the books may beremoved by hand. During the time occupied in rounding the books theoperator inserts another pair of books in the feed-rollers, so thatimmediately the books which have been rounded are removed the vise is atliberty and comes forward and seizes the next pair of books, &c.

I would also have it understood that I do not confine myself to theprecise details described and shown herein for carrying this inventioninto eifect, as various mechanical constructions or alterations mayoccur or suggest themselves to an intelligent mind without departingfrom the nature of the invention.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that by the presentinvention the rounding, backing, and pressing the books is effected atone operation instead of two, as heretofore. The machine is arranged sothat it can operate on two books simultaneously instead of only one, asformerly. The capacity of the machine is (in the case of two books)doubled without increasing its size. There is a freedom of danger to theattendant on removing the books. Notwithstanding the adaptability of themachine for operating on two or more books simultaneously, yet it iscapable of operating also on single books.

I declare that what I claimis- 1. In apparatus for rounding and backingbooks, guides, a rigid gage-bar mounted therein and movable verticallyand horizontally seams and spring-supports at its ends, in combinationwith the book-vise, means for moving the vise and means raising the barwhereby when the vise collides with the spring-supported gage-bar, itWill gently move the same out of the position which it previouslyoccupied, and thus enable the book-vise to seize the books and carrythem to the rounding and backing appliance, after which the gage-barinstantly springs back to its normal position, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a rounding and backing machine, the combinationWithinter1nittently-r0tating feed rolls and guides allowing of a riseand her behind said rolls, mounted to move to and from said rolls, andguides to allow of the independent rising and falling of the gage-bar,substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 24th day ofSeptember, 1900, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH MEEK.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE I-I. WIMSHURST, FRANCIS HAROLD EDWARDS.

